Many fire protection systems are configured to deliver a fire fighting fluid from a fluid source to a series of sprinklers distributed throughout a protected area in a defined pattern. In a building or other fixed structure, the fluid can be delivered to wall or ceiling mounted sprinklers through a network of pipes hidden within the walls or ceilings. The hidden piping is commonly run through hollow spaces within walls or ceilings. However, when the walls or ceilings are fabricated from a material that does not provide a hollow structure, such as concrete, it can be difficult to run the pipes after the walls or ceilings are fabricated. Accordingly, a common technique is to run the piping while a concrete wall or ceiling is being fabricated.
When using concrete to fabricate a wall or ceiling containing a sprinkler pipe, it is desirable to have the sprinkler-mountable ends of the piping placed at the correct locations within the concrete wall or ceiling, and to have the ends of the piping accessible after the forms used to shape the concrete wall or ceiling are removed. In some existing systems, sprinkler piping molds are used to connect the ends of the sprinkler pipes to the concrete forms (e.g., plywood boards) while the concrete sets. Before the concrete is introduced to the space defined by the concrete forms, the sprinkler piping molds are mounted on the concrete forms at desired locations, and the sprinkler piping is routed and connected to the sprinkler piping mold. The sprinkler system is then pressure tested to ensure that all piping connections are satisfactory sealed and the wet concrete is introduced to fill the space defined by the concrete form and cover the sprinkler piping and the sprinkler piping molds. The sprinkler piping molds displace a volume of the wet concrete and are removed with the removal of the concrete forms to provide access to the sprinkler piping through the volume defined within the hardened concrete by the sprinkler piping molds.
One such mold is described in European Publication No. 2312088 at FIG. 1, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Shown in FIG. 1 is a one-piece mold that has a bell-shaped member that defines a volume for displacing concrete. The bell-shaped member has one end that connects to a pipe and another end that sits against a concrete form. Three fastening members pass through the bell-shaped member to secure the bell-shaped member, and its connected pipe, to the concrete form. As the mold in FIG. 1 is a one-piece mold, the fastening members must be pulled or cut to separate the bell-shaped member from the concrete form, and to gain access to the bell-shaped member so that it can be removed from the pipe. It is believed that the mold described in FIG. 1 of EP2312088 is not an efficient design because of the labor and time required to pull or cut the fastening members to separate the concrete form from the mold, and because the fastening members may not provide a secure connection to the concrete form because the fastening members must remain removable to allow for later separation when the concrete form is removed.
Another concrete mold is described in EP2312088 at FIG. 2. Shown in FIG. 2 is a two-piece concrete mold that has a bell-shaped member with a top piece and a bottom piece. The top piece provides a volume for displacing concrete and the bottom piece fits within the top piece to secure the top piece to the concrete form. The top piece of the bell-shaped member has one end that connects to a pipe and another end that sits against the concrete form while covering the bottom piece. Three fastening members pass through the bottom piece to secure a plate of the bottom piece flatly against the concrete form. The top piece of the bell-shaped member, and its connected pipe, are disposed over a cylindrical wall extending from the bottom piece. As the mold in FIG. 2 is a two-piece mold, the bottom piece is removable when the concrete form is removed, which allows access to remove the top piece of the bell-shaped member from the pipe. It is believed that the mold described in FIG. 2 of EP2312088 is not sufficiently sturdy for use or repeated use at a construction site because the walls of the bottom piece are likely to be deformed or damaged (e.g., when impacted or stepped on), which can provide an inadequate connection to the top piece or prohibit subsequent reuse of the bottom piece. It is also believed that the FIG. 2 design is not efficient because of the additional time and labor that may be required to properly orientate the bottom piece on the concrete form.
FIGS. 3-4 of EP2312088 show a two-piece mold that is represented to be an improvement over the designs of FIGS. 1 and 2, and show a specialized tool that is used to release the mold from the concrete form. As shown in FIGS. 3-4, the two-piece mold has a bell-shaped member that defines a volume for displacing concrete and a plug that holds the bell-shaped member to a pipe. The bell-shaped member has an end that connects to a pipe with the plug extending through a hole in the end to screw into the pipe, to secure the bell-shaped member to the pipe by pressing a portion of the end between the plug and the pipe. The opposite end of the bell-shaped member sits against the concrete form and is secured to the form by fastening members that pass through the bell-shaped member into the concrete form. To remove the concrete form, the fastening members are cut or removed to provide access for a tool that is inserted to unscrew the plug from the pipe. Once the plug is unscrewed, the bell-shaped member is removed, leaving the volume defined by the mold to provide access to the pipe. It is believed that the mold described in FIG. 3 of EP2312088 is not an efficient design because of the labor and time required to assemble the plug and bell-shaped member on to the pipe, to engage and disengage the fastening members, and to remove the plug from the pipe. It is also believed that the design is not efficient because of the need for the plug component and the costs associated with the extra component.
A three-piece mold is described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0319196 to Rosenberg, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. As shown in FIG. 2, a cylindrical cap having a flat plate is mounted flatly on a concrete form with screws so that a cylindrical wall extends from the flat plate to engage a sleeve that defines the displacement volume. The sleeve is connected to a pipe with a plug that holds the sleeve to the pipe, with the plug fitting in a space within the cylindrical wall of the cylindrical cap. When the concrete form is removed, the cylindrical cap is pulled out of the sleeve, leaving the sleeve accessible to a tool that removes the plug and sleeve from the volume defined by the mold within the concrete. It is believed that the mold described in Rosenberg is not an efficient design because of the labor and time required to assemble the plug and sleeve onto the pipe, and because of the need for an additional plug component and the costs associated with the extra component. It is also believed that the mold described in Rosenberg is not an efficient design because of the labor and time required to mount the cylindrical cap in a correct orientation and to remove both the plug and the sleeve. It is further believed that the Rosenberg design is not sufficiently sturdy for a construction site because the cylindrical wall can bend when stepped on or suffer damage that prevents reuse of the cylindrical cap.
In view of the above-described deficiencies associated with prior techniques, among others, there is a need for a sprinkler piping mold that can displace concrete in a manner that reduces the cost and effort required to assemble and tear down the mold, allows for simpler connection of the mold to a concrete form, provides sturdiness resistant to damage, and permits the reuse of construction materials.